Do you have a build post?
sadly i didn’t do a build post, but here is a photo of the modified lantern with the Philips 11-watt household bulb. The Lantern draws less amps from the batteries with the LED bulb than it did with the CFL bulb it originally had, (for more run time) and its brighter on high mode. Also it has much better tint with the 3200K bulb. (i used the original remote-control lantern’s control circuit) A also added a 12 volt-in port & power source selector switch so it can be powered by a car cig-lighter cord, a wall adapter, or with a battery clamp cord to run from a boat or car battery for continuous running.
What’s wrong with this Fenix?
The Fenix lantern is a well-thoughtout thing.
But the light it emits looks very cool and 1x18650 does not have the runtime of 4x18650.
And it is quite ugly of course, a lantern should be pleasant to look at 
I also had one of those, They are ok, but feels cheap for the price paid, (entirely plastic) low run times on higher modes with single 18650 cell, and tint is a bit too cool for lantern use.
Heheh that plastic “fantastic” thing is something I would only get when I saw it for $4 without and $8 with cell. How much is it?
I remember seeing a clone of that Fenix lantern somewhere for a far less cost than the Fenix brand one above, but can’t remember where it was sold.
UPDATE: Oct,8,2017:
- A TP4056 type USB Micro charging circuit has been added to the lantern prototype.
With full depleted cells, the lantern pulls 1.06 amps from the USB charger, and that drops as the cells charge to full. (this gives roughly 250mA to each cell so its a slower charge, but will be better for the cells longevity in the long run. Right now the Lantern will charge depleted cells, (below 3 volts) to full in a day charging on a 1.0~2.0A wall charger. I am currently testing the lantern Run-times per night versus charge times on a 11-watt solar USB folding charger per day, to test its ability as an off grid light for indefinite use.
Way cool !! Good to see.
Awesome!
For real version a little more amps could be wise if the input allows it, but sure cool to see this process.
That’s great. Need one for hurricanes. Can you ramp up or down the brightest as needed ?
Nice!
Do you also have plans to be able to use it as a powerbank, to charge you cellphone or GPS in an emergency?
Most 10 watt solar chargers seem to output roughly around 1 watt at 5 volts in full direct sunlight, but drops as the sun goes down or during cloudy periods. The TP4056 seems to be able to compensate that quite well, and still provide a “trickle” charge even at just 400 milliamps input. For wall plugs then it seems to pull its rated amps. (i use an inline USB volt/amp meter for testing)
The prototype has 4 modes, ( Moonlight, Low, medium & High with no PWM. (based from the Q-Lite revision of the Nanjq 105C driver.)
That is a possibility option were working on for the actual production model, as it would be a good feature to have for emergencies. Using four good 3200~3500mAh high capacity cells in the lantern would make it a high capacity power bank in addition to a lantern than can run for many days on a single charge.
( i have not added a USB charge output circuit yet to the lantern, and may if i can find the space inside driver area of the lantern to add one.
This sounds and looks very nice. I like your field testing and modding.
If it will have a nice warm tint, I’m sure I’ll buy one :+1:
I camp regularly, and the more (reliable) use per gram, the better. I have the same camo chinese solar panel you’ve got. It’s great to use outdoors with a powerbank.
This looks like a very versatile (light) energy source able to replace multiple devices. Hope this comes into production with all the features!
I would get this!
I like the idea of being able to use it on a 3-4 day camping trip, on lower modes.
The usb charging would be a nice feature (for me), and charging it with solar during the day :+1:
I havent read the whole thread(yet). Is this still in the early stages, meaning: has there been any discussion with a manufacturer yet?
Im guessing pricing is WAY too early to guess? If it lands in the $40 range, im all in.
Excellent work, glad to see progress.
A TP5000 charging board can give up to 2A charge current, I have one in my Noctigon meteor and it will charge 4 30Q’s in a little over six hours from a suitable power supply. Just an idea.
The plan is to be Warmer white light, ( The lantern currently has a 3700~4000K tint, and have modded lanterns with 3200K & 2700K. The idea here for this BLF lantern is for it to do what most factory & store bought lanterns don’t have. Warmer higher CRI tint, bright, long run times in all modes, compact, durable, versatile, with the best features like changeable LiIon cells, built in charging, the best practical modes for lantern use.
The solar panel in the photo was one of those 5 ~ 7 watt cheapos, but i modded it with additional folding panels as seen in the photo to increase the output to 11 ~ 12 watt range for charging larger USB devices faster.